Trump refuses to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot systems over fears technology could fall into Russian hands – The Telegraph
US President Donald Trump is refusing to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot systems over concerns that the technology could fall into Russian hands.
The Telegraph reported this, citing sources, Censor.NET informs.
Trump changes his position
According to The Telegraph, during the NATO summit in Ankara in July, Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States could grant Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot systems.
However, the US leader changed his position just a few weeks later. During a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump said that transferring such technology was difficult because the country receiving it could use it against the United States in the future.
According to The Telegraph, the US president’s change of position resulted from internal disputes within the US administration over how safe it would be to transfer sensitive defence technology to Ukraine.
Secret PAC-3 component
The newspaper writes that the PAC-3 Ka-Band Active Radar Seeker technology is causing the greatest concern in Washington. It is a compact radar in the nose of a Patriot missile that detects an enemy target in the final seconds of flight and guides the interceptor missile into a direct collision with it.
The radar is manufactured by Boeing at its plant in Huntsville, Alabama. This particular component is said to be critical to the effectiveness of the Patriot, which is why the United States strictly restricts access to it.
Although Patriot systems are in service with around 20 countries, full-scale licensed missile production has been established only in Germany and Japan. At the same time, Washington has not granted even Japan the right to manufacture PAC-3 Ka-Band radars independently.
Challenges of oversight and risk of leaks
The Telegraph notes that launching missile production requires far more than simply transferring blueprints. Ukraine would also need technical documentation, software and access to specialised engineering designs.
The United States would also have to vet all companies, employees and subcontractors that would have access to the technology and obtain guarantees that it would be protected.
US officials are most concerned that the data could fall into Russian hands as a result of a leak. Former commander of US European Command Philip Breedlove confirmed to The Telegraph that this threat is indeed a concern among members of the Trump administration.
Background
Earlier, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said that an agreement with Ukraine on the joint production of interceptors for Patriot air defence systems would probably not be concluded before this winter.
